DRC foreign minister urges U.N. Security Council to act against Rwanda over attacks on Goma

Therese Wagner, minister for foreign affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, told the United Nations Security Council and reporters in New York that the council must "act" to halt what she described as Rwandan aggression in and around Goma and to defend Congolese sovereignty.

Wagner said the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is "at a critical juncture" and appealed to the council to take five immediate measures she described as "very actionable and very precise." "It is now time for the Security Council to act. Millions have been displaced. Thousands are trapped in the besieged city of Goma with restricted access to food, water, electricity, security," Wagner said. "Rwanda cannot be allowed to continue to act with impunity."

Wagner listed the five requested actions: the unconditional withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congolese territory; targeted sanctions against the command structure of the Rwandan Defence Forces; an embargo on the illicit exploitation and export of mineral resources from the DRC; suspension of Rwanda as a contributor of troops to U.N. peacekeeping missions; and total transparency in arms transfers to Rwanda. She cited a United Nations Group of Experts report that, she said, found "over a 150 tons" of minerals were being illegally mined and exported monthly.

Wagner pointed to recent violence in Goma and attacks on peacekeepers as reasons for urgent measures. "We need to end the double standard, where Rwanda is able to contribute to UN peacekeeping forces while its troops kill members of the MONUSCO mission and the SADC mission. In less than 4 days, over 14 peacekeepers were killed," she said.

Wagner welcomed Germany's decision to cancel planned development-aid meetings with Rwanda and described that move as an example of the international pressure she is seeking. She said the DRC's five requests were drawn from the United Nations Group of Experts' findings rather than only from Congolese government reports and characterized them as "low hanging fruits" that the council has used in the past in other contexts.

During a question-and-answer session, reporters pressed Wagner on whether the Security Council's historic inaction made other forums more promising. Wagner said the council was meeting behind closed doors and that the outcome of deliberations mattered most. She said Kinshasa maintains diplomatic contacts with permanent members of the council and other stakeholders and "do[es] engage robustly with them" to press for a strong stance. She also said the DRC expects regional bodies such as the African Union and the East African Community to uphold their principles and hold members accountable.

Wagner framed the requests as specific steps the council could take immediately rather than an open-ended list of demands. She reiterated that the DRC would continue to press all relevant bodies to act.

No formal Security Council decision or vote was recorded in the briefing. The minister's remarks and the reporters' questions were the principal public account of the DRC's demands at that session.